MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI) Shares Acquired by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 409,341 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,341 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 0.61% of MKS Instruments worth $42,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 86.5% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 321,542 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $33,566,000 after acquiring an additional 149,160 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 123,689 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $12,912,000 after acquiring an additional 11,285 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,943 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 196.4% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 20,734 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $2,164,000 after acquiring an additional 13,739 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its holdings in shares of MKS Instruments by 274.3% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 31,432 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $3,281,000 after purchasing an additional 23,035 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.79% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark cut their price target on MKS Instruments from $142.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $134.92.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In related news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of MKS Instruments stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total value of $25,426.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of MKSI traded down $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $83.82. 767,566 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,056,483. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.84 and a 52-week high of $147.40. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.31. The firm has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.29. MKS Instruments had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 5.30%. The business had revenue of $936.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $913.59 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. MKS Instruments's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.27%.

MKS Instruments Profile

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.